BURLINGAME, Calif.– Neptune Medical announced promising new clinical data at the Digestive Disease Week (DDW) conference, revealing that its Pathfinder Endoscope Overtube significantly improves scope control, stability, and completion rates in difficult upper and lower gastrointestinal procedures.
Two studies presented at the conference highlighted the overtube’s ability to enhance performance in complex diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopy. The Pathfinder device, which toggles between flexible and rigid states, provides a more stable platform for navigating looping and tortuous anatomy—conditions that often hinder successful outcomes, particularly in procedures such as colonic endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) and enteroscopy.
A randomized controlled trial led by Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center in Texas compared Pathfinder-assisted ESD to conventional ESD in 46 patients requiring advanced polyp removal. The interim findings showed a 100% procedure completion rate with Pathfinder, alongside significant improvements in scope stability (72.7% vs. 20.8%) and retroflexion capability (94.7% vs. 47.4%) compared to conventional techniques. Notably, all three study investigators achieved successful outcomes regardless of their prior experience with ESD.
“The Pathfinder overtube made colonic ESD feasible and more efficient, even for physicians with limited experience,” said Dr. Mohamed Othman, Chief of Gastroenterology at Baylor St. Luke’s and lead investigator on the study. “We also observed a trend toward faster procedure times.”
In a second retrospective multicenter study conducted at the University of South Florida and Cleveland Clinic Florida, researchers assessed the overtube’s effectiveness in 42 adult patients with previously incomplete procedures, including ERCP, deep enteroscopy, and colonoscopies hindered by looping anatomy. The Pathfinder device enabled a 97% procedure completion rate and 100% technical success, with no reported device-related adverse events.
“This is the first multicenter evaluation of the Pathfinder in real-world, high-difficulty cases,” said Dr. Pushpak Taunk, Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of South Florida. “It proved both safe and effective in overcoming anatomical challenges and completing previously failed endoscopies.”
The Pathfinder overtube is designed to assist gastroenterologists across skill levels by stabilizing the endoscope and minimizing loop formation during complex procedures. Its instant flexibility-to-rigidity function allows clinicians to maintain scope position, enabling greater precision in tissue resection and therapeutic interventions.
“These results validate that Pathfinder can dramatically enhance scope control, reduce failed procedures, and potentially lower costs associated with repeat procedures,” said Alex Tilson, Founder and CEO of Neptune Medical. “We believe this technology has the potential to become a standard tool in challenging GI procedures.”
The new data support broader clinical adoption of the Pathfinder system as a tool to improve outcomes in patients with difficult anatomical presentations and incomplete prior endoscopies.
